


Japril Week 2017

by tyah



Category: Grey's Anatomy, Japril - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 07:39:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18868741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tyah/pseuds/tyah
Summary: One shots from japril week 2017 posted on my Tumblr:Day 1: Funny moment(s)Day 2: Favourite parallelsDay 3: A song or quote that remind you of themDay 4: Favourite episode(s)Day 5: AU / A scene you wish happenedDay 6: Favourite scene that you can watch over and over againDay 7: Free choice





	1. Funny moment(s)

**Author's Note:**

> Day 1: Funny moment(s)

Jackson ate his lunch quietly as he waited for his wife to join him. When they have similar schedules, he likes to eat with her.  Her hours can be much more unpredictable than his when Alex comes and sits down across him at the small table he’s slightly annoyed.

“Hey, man,” Alex greets him, completely unaware that he is ruining Jackson’s plans for the day.

“Hey,” Jackson says curtly. He doesn’t hate Alex, they’ve come a long way from punching each other in the face. He can call him a friend. But, on the other hand, the total wouldn’t mind if Alex got paged right about now. “Do you know where April is by any chance?”

“Oh, so you’re not happy to see me?” Alex jokes and Jackson promptly takes a sip of his water. “Don’t get all upset, Avery. Kepner’s still in surgery, it was a big one,”

They start talking about the case, apparently, a man had run out onto the road caused a car pile-up outside his house. It was a suburban neighbourhood and a kid had been injured so Alex had to operate.

“And you want to know the worst part?”

“What?”

“The guy came into the ER, completely naked,”

“Homeless?”

“Nah, he lives in the neighbourhood,” Alex says munching on some fries. “His wife rode in on the ambulance. She was pretty shaken up,”

Just then Jackson looks up to see April and Arizona walking towards them. They both sit down at the table and April tells them more about her patient.

“They’ve been married for 42 years,” April says midway of pulling a carton off her yoghurt. “They were celebrating their anniversary. Apart from the public nudity, they’re a normal happy married people.”

“So, this guy was having a midlife crisis and wanted to streak,” Alex guesses crudely causing Arizona to shake her head at him. “Way to go, dude, you wanted to live life again and broke a kids’ arm.”

“It wasn’t a midlife crisis, they were celebrating their Anniversary,”

“It wasn’t,” Arizona raises her eyebrows. She already knows, because the wife was very hysterical coming into the ER, she had to remain professional at the moment but here with her friends she can relax. “What did they say?”

April gives Arizona’s cheeky expression a look before opening her mouth, “He took a pill, for you know, to christen their 42 years together. It just didn’t ever go back down and he freaked out and it resulted in a multiple vehicle crash,”

April didn’t think it was that funny, the couple had been so mortified when they all came in. This accident could have

 “I don’t understand why you think this is so funny, You and Mr Leigh have more in common than you think.”

He almost chokes on his water at that. Jackson is about to press her on what she meant by that but there are too many people about.

 

* * *

 

April couldn’t focus on the television in front of her. She was too busy trying to get a good read on Jackson’s mood. His mind was surely preoccupied with something and their evening had been off since they’d both left work. She was determined to find out what was the matter with her husband.

“Why are you so sulky?” April tucks her legs underneath her on the couch and pokes his side when he doesn’t answer. April was getting an answer tonight

“Jackson,”

“Jackson,”

“You think I have erectile dysfunction!” he blurts out, he didn’t really plan on saying like that but his day hasn’t gone like he’d hoped and they’re in the privacy of their own home so at least the embarrassment is minimal.

“That’s what this is about?” April suppresses a laugh and controls her voice carefully. That might have been easier than she thought it would be. She can tell he’s embarrassed and doesn’t want to make it worse. But this whole thing very amusing.

“Of course, it is,” Jackson says because this is obviously why he’s so upset. He turns to her “I don’t have… that.”

April raises her eyebrow at the way he whispers the last word. She’d never seen her husband not quite so smooth before. “Awww, baby are you mad at me?”

“No,” Jackson mutters and crosses his arms. He said what he needed to say and that was that. He couldn’t believe April thought this would be an issue for him. She was very vocal about his performance in the bedroom, he considered that she had no reason to complain. Jackson had no idea where she could have got this from.

“I don’t believe you,” April reaches for the remote and turns the TV off, ignoring his protests. “You’re being such a grumpus.”

He says nothing.

“Oh, even rarer,” April pulls his face towards hers by his chin. He’s doing that scrunch thing with his nose and April smooths one finger over the freckles there and straddles him. “A baby grumpus.”

Jackson pouts even more but settles his hands on her waist. “I’d like to think that you’re very satisfied by our sex life.”

“I am.”

“And there haven’t been any issues before,” he continues and he is right. In fact, she can feel him large and hard underneath her right now.

“That is true,” she says and then can’t help it anymore, laughing wholeheartedly. He was just so cute.

“Then why don’t you believe me April?” he drops his shoulders forward at the sound of her laughter. “I don’t have…that issue.”

“Two years ago!” April states, the giggles have subsided but he’s thoroughly confused.

“What?

“Two years ago, you told me and,” April lets a chuckle or two out then, recovers and trudges on .“Dr Bailey about your appointment with Dr Mayfield. It was why you got out of your assigned skills lab with the interns.”

_“Come on, Avery let’s go,” he hears Dr Bailey’s no-nonsense tone, turning around to see her and April, on their way past him._

_“Actually, I forgot I have uh an appointment so…” Jackson trails off, hoping that the word is enough to get her to drop it._

_Dr Bailey approaches, undeterred and suddenly very interested. He doubts she’s interested in his personal life, she tells the residents that five times a day. She must be more interested in the reason as to why this was more important than disregarding watching her teach.  “An appointment? What appointment?”_

_“Er, with Mayfield in 22,” he responds confidently._

_“Oh!” Aprils eyes almost bug out of her head but Jackson doesn’t understand why. “Okay, well uh that’s uh sure t-that’s fine right Dr Bailey?”_

_“Some things, Avery I just don’t need to know.”_

_Bailey turns and walks out of the waiting area and April follows a few seconds later but not before giving him a confused once over._

April finishes telling him the story and he’s not so reluctant to speak as he was previously in the evening.

“That was a lie,” Jackson says, keeping her body in place on top of his. He turns his lips up and nods. “I was lying.”

April reclines a little from the position in his lap and tilts her head. “Okay sure whatever you say, Jackson”

Jackson narrows his eyes at her when she has the audacity to shoot him the exact look from years ago.

“Alright,” he runs his hands down her back until he cups her bottom. “Looks like I’ve got to prove you wrong,” 

April shrieks when he picks her up and carries her into the bedroom.

* * *

 

Jackson gives April one last kiss before collapsing onto his back. He takes a breath before flopping an arm over her waist and turning onto her side. He grins as he watches the steady rise and fall of her chest.

“No, no more I’m tired,” April gasps when she feels his slide down her torso and rolls away from him.

“That’s okay, I guess you deserve a break after that last one.”

She buries her face in the soft pillow and snorts into it when she catches the goofy grin on his face. “You’re lucky I love you,”

He reaches out and skims his hand down her back. “Yeah, I know.”

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Day 2: Favourite parallels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2: Favourite parallels

April laughs to herself a little as she takes the throw pillows of the bed.

Jackson’s head perks up at the sound. It’s late and still, he didn’t say anything so he doesn’t know what she’d find so amusing. They’d both worked long shifts, he’d thought April would be dead off her feet. “Oh no,”

“What?”

“Are you losing it?”

“No, I was just thinking,”

“About why I let you talk you into buying so many of these?” Jackson places the last pillow on his side on the edge of the bed and slips under the covers.

“No,” April laughs despite her slight irritation at his antics, she hits him on the head with the cushion. “I was thinking about a conversation we had a few years ago,”

“Uh huh,”

April finally gets under the covers and settles next to him with her head on his chest. “About how I wanted to be a virgin for the man I was going to marry,” she looks up at him and smiles slowly when she sees he’s staring down at her, the look that grounds her no matter what. “And I was,”

When Jackson thinks of that memory he remembers that he didn’t understand that. The idea of waiting, for your spouse, but when he holds April in his arms tonight and knows that he’s hers and she’s his, it clicks.

“I think I waited for you too, you’re the only one I’ve ever loved,”


	3. Day 3: A song or quote that remind you of them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3: A song or quote that remind you of them

_Love is friendship caught fire; it is quiet, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It settles for less than perfection, and makes allowances for human weaknesses._

* * *

 

Jackson couldn’t believe that his mother had flown all the way across the country to spy on him.

He’d settled into his new life as a surgical intern just fine, found a place to live, even made a few friends but couldn’t find a way to escape the watchful eye of Catherine Avery. The Chief of surgery was besotted with her and let her scrub into any surgery she wanted, question the rest of his intern class and practically follow him around the hospital.

She sat with him at lunch! He was 24 years old and was feeling like a teenager again.

Jackson laughed when he heard her say that, visiting was code for checking in. This drop-by was an evaluation. He knew that she was still mad about him not taking the place she saved at Mass General, she said he was running away from his legacy. That couldn’t have been further from the truth he took the opportunity from the Chief at Mercy West to prove himself away from the circus.

And now she peering down his shoulder in a skills lab, inspecting his stitching technique.

“You’ve gotten sloppy, baby,”

He hears Charles snicker beside him and resists the urge to jab the needle into his arm.

Jackson grumbles under his breath and keeps focus on the work in front of him.

“If you started up here,” she points at his stitches, “Then it would be less noticeable,”

“Okay,”

“Maybe if you stayed in Boston then you’d be more advanced in your work,”

“And be stuck under your tutelage,” Jackson finally looks up at her and places his instrument down. “That’s not something I wanted.”

“Jackson, I don’t know who you think-”

April could see that Jackson was having a hard time, there was possibly more to being an Avery than what met the eye. She was thrilled about meeting Catherine Avery; the woman was an inspiration but April could also see how much pressure she put on Jackson.

“Dr Avery, if I may,” April interrupts loudly and rather uncharacteristically, she clasps her hands together and opens her mouth to speak.  She knows it really isn’t any of her business but she couldn’t stay silent for much longer.  “Your son is very talented, he’ll be a great surgeon. You should be very proud of him. And Jackson your mother only fusses because she cares, you’re lucky to have in your life.”

April blushes at her outburst, she’s definitely in trouble with her superiors and everyone’s eyes are on her. Jackson regards her with an unreadable expression as she goes to sit down and she thinks he’s messed everything up, but then he subtly smiles at her and she knows that she did the right thing.

* * *

 

_Love is content with the present, hopes for the future, and does not brood over the past._

April leans her head on her closed fist and settles more comfortably on her stool. She’s never been here before but knows it’s popular with her co-workers. She’s supposed to be celebrating getting rehired at Seattle Grace Mercy West and is happily waiting on her friends.

She texted Reed as soon as she got out of Dr Shepherd's office, she didn’t expect such a quick response, for all she knew her friend was still working but not even a minute later her phone lit up with an invite for celebration.

_Joe’s!_

April didn’t know that much about the Emerald City Bar but it had a great atmosphere. It wasn’t too loud but there were quite a few patrons filling the space. Usually, that would make her nervous but she was elated about being rehired.

“You have a beautiful smile,”

April looked over her shoulder, her dark hair fans out over her shoulder at the sudden movement., before turning to the source of the compliment. “Me?”

The mystery man sits down in the empty stool across from her and the thought doesn’t escape April that he didn’t even ask if he could sit down.

“Yes, I watching you from across the room,” he says and leans forward in his seat.

“Oh, I um thank you?” April squeaks. This was why she didn’t like bars. Only April Kepner would draw the attention of some creep. “Listen I don’t uh…”

He reaches out to stroke her hand. “You know if you wanted to get-”

“Hey, babe,” Jackson greets her, she recognises the voice instantly but the term of endearment sounds strangely bolstering. He drapes one arm around her shoulders loosely and kisses the top of her head.

“Hey, Jackson,” April says, she tries to play down the relief in her voice. She knows what he’s trying to do and is grateful but the touching is making her slightly flustered.

“Reed told me you got your job back. Congratulations, that’s really great new. We should celebrate, later I mean when we get home,” he said and rubs her arm.  April smiles warmly at him, discreetly checking if the guy has lost interest and it seems that he has as she watches him stalk off to a corner of the room.

Jackson glances over his shoulder again and then untangles himself from his friend. Reed had told him before he left about the good news and they should all meet up at Joe’s to celebrate the good news. When he walked into the bar he didn’t expect to see April being harassed by some guy.

“Sorry, if I was being presumptuous. It seemed like you froze up,” he says and sits down next to her. He didn’t like seeing April looking so distressed and decided to step in.

“No, it was-” April gestures, her arm still warm from where he touched her. “It made me feel safe,”

* * *

 

_It is the day-in and day-out chronicles of irritations, problems, compromises, small disappointments, big victories, and working toward common goals._

 “Hey,” Jackson says when he sees April sit down next to him.

“How are you feeling?” April asks sympathetically and fleetingly places her hand on his knee. “I heard about what happened.”

“I’ll live,” he chuckles humourlessly. He changed out of his scrubs a while ago but was still sitting in the resident’s lounge, he didn’t have the energy to move. He was thankful that his day was over.

“It’s just…when the doors closed in and then he coded…I didn’t want to be there it’s like I zoned out or something” Jackson admits.

April takes a moment before she speaks, waiting until he’s not staring off into space and is making eye contact with her. “And despite all of that you saved your patient, you held on in there Jackson. You’re going to be okay,”

Jackson felt slightly guilty that he was unloading all his trauma on her. After her initial breakdown in her apartment that second night and their mandated therapy sessions April seemed to doing much better than him.

Although today has reminded him of their friends and his loss, Jackson’s is glad that he has April by this side through all of this. He feels a little better about it now and

“I skipped lunch but we can go to the food truck,” Jackson stands and sliding the strap of his bag higher on his shoulder. “My treat.”

“Jackson, you don’t have to,” April says shaking her head and walks in step with him.

“April, it’s just a taco. You love tacos,” he nudges her with his elbow as they walk out of the hospital.

* * *

 

“You need to lay very still, alright, Mosi,” a nurse says as Jackson prepares to examine his patient.

The little boy squirms irritably on the bed, staring up at the strangers in the room fearfully and gestures with his small hands. Jackson approaches and speaks to him softly, trying to explain to him in simpler terms what he’s doing, but that doesn’t seem to calm him.

Jackson’s attempts to be as understanding as he can while under pressure. The child is in distress and as more nurses enter the room to help he feels like he’s in over his head.

“What’s going on?” he unexpectedly hears April amongst the voices and lets out a breath.

“I don’t know, he won’t keep still.” Jackson places his stethoscope around his neck again and stands closer to where April has taken a seat on the bed next to Mosi. He’s still hitting out at her but April keeps calm. She watches his hand movements and appears to pick up on something.

April lifts her hands, deliberately motioning to him and he visibly relaxes.

They leave the room together once the examination is over and Jackson can’t hold himself back from asking about what happened. “When did you learn Swahili sign language?”

“I didn’t really learn, more like tried to pick up a few things while trying to learn Swahili for the kids,” April replies modestly. She’s had a hard day with Stark but she was glad she could to this for Mosi, He was just as scared as most of the kids brought here, being deaf around people who weren’t aware could have caused more problems.

“You’re gonna snatch Chief resident from them, you know,” Jackson says as they enter the cafeteria.

“I don’t think so, Jackson,” April shakes her head doubtfully and takes a tray from the top. They shuffle down the aisle towards the servers.

“Nah, you’ve got in the bag,” Jackson nods and he looks so sure of it.  “You were amazing in there.”

* * *

 

April giggles to herself as Jackson helps her up the stairs to her room. She might have overdone it drinking after their humiliating loss at the softball game. She glances at his sour expression and knows what is bothering him.

She told him not to go there, but he didn’t listen. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he mutters.

“You’re not fine, you’re being a grumbly,”

“Grumbly is not a word,” Jackson argues suddenly amused. She would not remember saying any of this the next day.

“Yes, it is, my mom used to say it,” April says defiantly then she purses her lips in thought. “Or maybe it was grumpety, no, that would be ridiculous,” before she can collapse in laughter Jackson steadies by placing a hand to her side.

They reach the top of the stairs and stop the awkward shuffle they’ve acquired since Jackson was so adamant about helping her get up the stairs safely. “You deserve to be with someone who wants you back, Jackson”

“What?”                                                                                                                                                 

“Today, Lexie, a foul ball to the boob,” April states in a moment of drunken clarity.

Jackson tiredly runs his hand down his face. “April, I-”

“I know, you don’t want to talk about this,” April says, resting her cheek on the door jam, looking up at him. He knew that he’d be reluctant to talk about this, but she wanted him to know something.

“Hey, if you can’t find someone then what hope is there for the rest of us,”

* * *

 

April clamps her hand around her wine glass and muses out loud about all the crazy events of the day. In less than twenty-four hours she and her resident class would be taking the biggest exam of their life. It’s hard to believe that she’s made it so far but April is proud of herself and she’s glad that Jackson is by her side.

“Hey, but we’re still standing, right?”

“Oh, yeah we are… me and you,”

“Me and you.”

 


	4. Favourite episode(s)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Favourite episode(s)

“That was really stupid Jackson,” April grabs a cloth towel from the counter and started to fill it with ice from a nearby bowl.

She wraps it up into a bundle, tying it up and walking over to where Jackson sits at the counter flexing his hand. Wordlessly, she reaches out for his hand and places the cold towel on it, applying light pressure.

“Oh, so you’re mad at me too?” Jackson says tiredly. He doesn’t want to fight with her he can tell she’s embarrassed and he just had been comforting her before he saw Alex. He was still worried about her.

April scoffs but keeps a steady focus on his hand, it was a little bruised but nothing major. He would be fine. “I’m not mad at you.  It’s just that you said that you were having trouble on Bailey’s service and attacking Alex’s face isn’t going to help.”

Jackson winces when she presses down on his knuckle.

“Sorry,” April scrunches her nose and pulls back a little before continuing more lightly. It’s only the two of them in the kitchen, when Hunt and Sloan dragged him off they told him to cool off before leaving him and April alone in the room. It’s quiet and the only time all day he’s felt relaxed.

“I’d still do it.”

“What?” she briefly made eye contact with him before focussing on the task at hand.

“Attack Karev’s face,” he says and even though her head is bent Jackson sees the corners of her lip’s twitch upwards and it makes him forget about the throbbing in his fist for a minute. “He’s an ass. You deserve a lot more.”

“I know,” April nods, her eye’s scan his face and he looks so sincere it overwhelms her.

“Hey, April are you okay,” they both turn to see Lexie approaching them and April pulls back from him.

“Uh yeah, I’m fine,” April tells her shyly. She puts the towel down and picks up her purse. “I think I’m gonna go,”

 Jackson starts to stand up, saying he’ll go with her but April stops him.

“No, it’s totally fine. I’m just tired and we’ve got the night shift. I’ll see you guys at home.”

* * *

 

April slowly walks into the kitchen and tightened her fluffy pick robe around her waist. She and her roommates had just worked an interesting night shift at the hospital and were now finally able to have a moment to themselves.

Lexie and Meredith were drinking beer in the living room while finishing off the rest of the pizza they all started eating in the car. But April was still hungry and wanted to make some breakfast so after a nice, hot shower she decided to make something just for herself.

What she didn’t expect to see Alex waiting in the kitchen.

“Hey,”

“Hey. Look I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. I had som- a lot of personal crap going on and I took it out on you,” Alex tells her, awkwardly scratches the back of his neck. His black eye is still “It wasn’t cool.”

“Yeah um thanks,” April nods. She’s not one to hold a grudge.

Alex turns to leave and passes Jackson who is on his way in.

“What were you doing talking to him?” Jackson says once Alex is out of earshot.

“He was apologising Jackson, we’re okay now,” April rolls her eyes to herself. “Or at least back to normal.”

“If he wanted to apologise for the right way then he’d let you get a punch in for yourself,” Jackson takes a seat at the kitchen table, putting his feet up on one of the other chairs.

April tosses him a warning look over her shoulder, then jumps when the toaster almost throws her toast into the sink. She was done with her crush on Alex, she went there and it epically imploded. But at least it wouldn’t be as bad as something else she could see brewing a mile away.

It’s just then when the thought crosses her mind she turns around and sees Jackson and Lexie talking at the table. She stands some distance away from him as he sits but April can tell he didn’t think about her advice from yesterday.

Lexie leaves once April is finished pouring her coffee.

“Jackson,”

“Hpmh,”

“Sloan talks about her all the time,” April says. She had been on his service a few times and learned that Mark Sloan liked to talk about personal things during work. Apparently, he valued her opinion as a woman. It was a little strange but it was kind of endearing as well. “Their story is really sweet, at first they didn’t really like each other and then it is forbidden love story. He even got into a fight with Dr Shepard…”

“April Kepner, you little gossip,” Jackson teased he wasn’t really interested in all the details. He squinted at her when she set her plate on the table and kicked his feet off the chair so he could sit down. He tried to put them in her lap but she swats at him

“Shut up, I’m not a gossip.”

“Yeah, okay you sound just like my mother, “Jackson says and not even trying to be discrete as he steals a slice of her breakfast.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” April swallows her food and tilts her head away from him.  “Your mother is amazing, Jackson. I was just reading about her work with some researchers at an Avery hospital in New York and – I know what you’re doing with your hand, Jackson and you better stop it right now.”

Jackson folds his lips in and drops his hand into his lap that had previously been twirling in the air mockingly.

April stands up and takes her plate and mug in hand, she shakes her head with pity. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Wait, April!” Jackson stumbles out of his chair and hurries after her. “What do you mean they fought on the hospital catwalk?!”

 


	5. AU / A scene you wish happened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU / A scene you wish happened

_“Good afternoon passengers. This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight 9B to Ohio. We are now inviting those passengers with small children, and any passengers requiring special assistance, to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes time. Thank you.”_

* * *

 

April jumped up in the seat that she had almost made a bed out of and straightened out her clothes before she stood. She made sure she had her appropriate documents still with her and studied the information. This was the last flight of the day; she couldn’t miss it. 

All the time she had spent all here, growing and changing. Some things went to plan and others April wished she could have taken back. One of those things was how she left things with Jackson.

Even though a part of their relationship had changed she was all that he had nowadays. April promised that she would stay until Sloan got better. Luckily, he had made great progress and was set to make a full recovery but sadly that also meant that had no reason to stay really.

She had completed her residency but failed her boards and was out of a job. She didn’t have much tying her here, well that wasn’t the complete truth she had Jackson. Her best friend that she had gone and had sex with.

Everything he had made her feel would be etched in her mind for a long time. But it couldn’t happen again, no matter how good Jackson made her feel. And with her about to board a flight home any chance of them together growing much smaller.

It was for the best, April told herself. She couldn’t be any good for him anyway, she was such a mess and he was perfect.

_“This is the final boarding call for passengers flight 9B to Ohio. Please proceed to Gate 2 immediately. The final checks are being completed and the captain will order for the doors of the aircraft to close in approximately five minutes time.”_

At the sound of the tannoy, April stood from her seat and headed to the gate. She needed to get away from her thoughts. If she over analysed the situation any more then she’d miss her plane.

“Miss, ticket and boarding pass, please,”

April gulped and clutched the items in her hands. This was it.

* * *

 

He had thought about for it days. After he left her in that hotel room back in San Francisco, after the boards and all those times she pushed him away and insisted that they could back to normal. The only problem with that was he didn’t want to go back to the way it was. 

However, it was what April said she wanted so he complied as much as it pained him to do so. He was good managing at his feelings, he’d had experience in that department. But it was hard to keep it in check sometimes, having to catch himself from staring at her too long, or thinking about the way she sounded or how they fit perfectly together.

It was pathetic. He felt like a lovesick teenage boy.

Then his usual updating session with his mentor on his patients had turned into creepy advice and then very important life-affirming advice. It gave him something to think about.

He told her to wait for him at Joe’s but when he finally entered the bar she was nowhere to be seen. Jackson thought about going home, giving up and forgetting all about April.  except when he walked up the stairs to leave Sloan’s words kept racing through his mind.

He loved April and he had to at least try and tell her. Jackson had never bought a plane ticket so fast in his life. He got to the airport and sped to the terminal from where April’s plane was supposed to take off from.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Jackson pled breathlessly as he got to the gate.

“I’m sorry, Sir but once the door closes we can’t-”

“No, you don’t understand my….April,” Jackson explained cutting off the woman. “My best friend is on that plane. And I have to-”

“Oh my god, that is so sweet,” she perked up immediately.

“So you’ll open the doors?” Jackson asked and swiftly placed his hands on the top of the counter.

“No,” the woman spoke.

“Are you kidding me right now?” 

“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do your plane’s leaving,” she gestured over to the large glass window.

“What?” Jackson ran up to the window and saw that she was right.

He was too late.

* * *

 

Jackson parked his car outside his building but paused for a moment before getting out of the car.

She was gone.

April was on a flight back to Ohio and he’d probably never see her again. He didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye. That fact made him slightly mad at her.  If he meant something to her she would have waited at Joe’s, if he meant something to her then as soon as they got back she wouldn’t have avoided him. Maybe even put aside her guilt and tackle what was staring them in the face since they’d both discovered it. 

That might have been selfish of him and Jackson suddenly felt disgusted with himself. He was exhausted and all he wanted to do was fall into bed and forget this day.

Jackson out of the car and started up the walk towards his building, quickening his pace as the first drops fell from the sky.

“No, M-Mrs Simkovich, I’m not a salesperson. I promise,” he heard a woman squeak. She sounded a lot like an exasperated April. Jackson shook his head to himself. It couldn’t be her. He had watched her plane take off from the terminal.

Jackson was stunned when he looked up and saw April standing at the front door to their apartment complex. She looked somewhat defeated with her shoulders were hunched and one hand pressed against the wall.

“Mrs Simkovich, it’s me April,” she spoke into the intercom desperately. “April Kepner from 3C. I watered your plants for you when you went to Florida for your son’s wedding. Look, it’s raining and I really need you to let me in. I already gave my key to the super and I have to talk to-”

“April?” he called. He squinted even though the sun was now long gone. He couldn’t believe it was her.

The woman in question stopped bothering their neighbour and spun around.

Jackson cleared his throat, “We were gonna meet at the bar.” 

“I know I- I went to the airport first,” April looked down at her shoes. “I went back to the bar but you weren’t there so here I am…”

Jackson glanced at her old, beat-up suitcases and then back at her. “Uh yeah,”

“You - we should talk,” she began and adjusted her small, peach jacket. It was completely saturated now but she wanted him what hear what she had to say. It was what got her to walk away from that plane.

“I waited for weeks for you to say something. You waited until the night you had to go,” Jackson stated. Not the best choice of words but he was still a little mad at her, despite the warmth he felt in his chest at the sight of her standing in front of him, steadily getting drenched.

April frowned but trudged on. She had expected this. “I had to do it before I lost my nerve. Guess I lost it.” she chuckled nervously but held his gaze. This would be so much easier if her pulse wasn’t going a mile a minute and her shirt wasn’t sticking to her skin. 

“Uh well, what I was going to say if I went to the bar was… I’m sorry and that you mean a lot more to me than I can describe. And that having sex with you meant something to me, but not as much as when I’d lay next to you when you were afraid of going to sleep a year ago when it was just us and we’d just be and that I’m really not good at this at all…but I think that I…”

He walked up to April and stared down at her, not saying anything. She looked up at him her expression became glowering. 

“Jackson, I understand that you’re upset but I came back to tell you how I feel,” April ran a hand through her wet hair, frustratedly. “I got manhandled by a TSA agent for trying to -”

“I love you, April. I always have.”

“I…” April opened her mouth but nothing more came out.

“That’s what I would have said if I saw you at Joe’s,” Jackson continued, a smile finally breaking free. He was glad that he was getting to opportunity to say this. “I would have told you that as soon as I saw you. That I love you everything about you, even the things that I don’t like…I love and I wanted you to stay. I want you with me.”

“You love me,” she whispered after a moment and gave him a small smile.

“I do,” Jackson cupped her cheek with his hand and ran his thumb along her wet cheek. He tilted his head and laughed at her reaction but the sound was cut off by her standing up on her tiptoes and pressing her lips to his urgently. He’s surprised by her, holding his hands up by his sides, but then he moves his mouth over hers hungrily. With his hand firmly planted at the back of her head, he kept her in place.

April fisted a hand into his wet t-shirt and wrapped her free arm around his neck, melting into him. She whined when he slipped his warm tongue past her lips and pressed her against the wall by the door. 

The rain is still beating down on them, the droplets feeling cool on their skin as they run their hands over each other but April felt hot all over. His lips leave hers but stayed on her face, opening his mouth hotly on her cheek, chin and down her neck as his fingers lightly gripping it.

A loud buzzing and followed by the door springing open caused them to stop but Jackson still held her close. A resident emerged from the building and sees them before they stopped their display. He eyed them disapprovingly and then stalked off.

“Do um you,” Jackson asked catching his breath. He laughed but reached out quickly to prevent the door from closing.  “Do you want to go up?”

April nodded and took his hand before turning to look inside.

Jackson unlocked the door to the apartment and stepped aside as April entered and he brought her bags in. They got a little carried away outside and while he had finally gotten to tell her how he felt but they still had much more to discuss. Furthermore, if she didn’t want to do anything else, then he was not about to push her.

Although, it became apparent to him that April had other ideas when she essentially pounced on him once he shut the door.

“April,”

“Mhm,” he raised his arms so she could relieve him from his damp hoodie.

“Are you sure?

“Do these seem like the moves of an unsure person?” she panted and trailed kisses up his throat and sucked on his earlobe.  He hooked his arms around her knees so she’s able to wrap her legs around his waist. He squeezed her bottom in response, and they both laugh when he knocks into the table as they enter into his room.

“If I’m staying-”

“You are staying,” Jackson interrupted her from his position lying on her naked chest and hugged tight making her squeal.

April’s laughter died down after he eased his grip and she continued stroking his bare back. “I’m going to need to look for another job,”

Jackson turned his body and flopped on top of her, growling loudly.  It’s quiet for a moment, only the sounds of the rain thrumming on the window and their quiet breathing can be heard.

“I’m being practical. I am not sulking in the apartment all day,” she rolls her eyes, thinking to herself. “I shipped most of my stuff back to Moline. I’m gotta call my parents…”

He can sense an imminent April-stylised panic attack is going to happen. Jackson slipped upwards on the bed so they are face to face. “April, you’re gonna find a new job and you can retake the boards. You are an amazing doctor.”

April placed both hands on his face and ran his fingers over his stubble as she stared up at him.

“What?”  

“I love you,” April told him hands still on his cheeks.  “I didn’t say it before when we were outside, and I-“

He cut her off by pressing his lips to hers.

She loved him back.

 


	6. Favourite scene that you can watch over and over again

different conversations with Cristina Yang and Miranda Bailey, April had decided to take matters into her own hands. It had been a few weeks since she and Jackson had ended their…whatever it was they were doing and while she missed her best friend (and some of the other more amorous activities they used to participate in) April needed to keep him at arm’s length, or they’d wind up in the same place and she didn’t want to hurt him even more.

She wished she could have taken her outburst, she didn’t make her feelings clear and that wasn’t something April particularly excelled in. It would save them both the heartache if they just forgot about each other in that way and went back to the way things were.

It didn’t take that long to find him, spotting him at the main desk from where she stood to overlook from the upper floor. Taking the stairs quickly April reached him in record time and closely sidled up to him at the desk.

“I think you should bring a date to Dr Bailey’s wedding,” April began and watched his profile to gauge his reaction as she spoke. “That way we can focus on our date and not on each other.”

Jackson glanced at April momentarily forgetting his chart filled with an illegible scrawl. The interns this year weren’t the best. He finally understood what the attendings had gone through training them, himself included.

He had some work to do before he left for Bailey and Ben’s nuptials and he didn’t want to worry about his post-ops while he was gone.  This idea April was pitching was the last thing he needed. He was sure he got her message loud and clear.

“Or we could just be focussed on the happy couple.” He stepped around her and returned the chart to its rightful place for pick up.

“I am wearing a strapless dress.” April followed behind him unrelenting and waves one hand up from her chest. “From here up, I’m completely naked.”

That piece of information distracted him because he knew how good she’d look and he’d never seen her really dressed up before. He shakes his head to clear the mental fog and advised her softly. “Just wear a different dress,”

It also amused him slightly that April thought that he didn’t have much self-discipline. They’d be in a room full of their co-workers what did she think would happen?

“I don’t have a different dress. I’m a doctor, I work long hours and in between those long hours,” she spoke swiftly, listing reason after reason and April knew that he was aware of all of this. On those breaks between her long hours she’d seek him out or he would come to find her and they’d end up in an on-call room, not sleeping. “I have – have one dressy dress,”

She wanted to wipe that stupid smirk on his face. How could this not worry him?

“How am I supposed to find a date with one days’ notice?”

April folded her arms. “I’m sure you wouldn’t be hard pressed to find a date, Jackson.”

Jackson chuckling smugly made April realise that she had just said that out loud. This was why she wanted each of them to bring dates to the wedding. She could hardly control the things she did around him, they were so naturally comfortable around each other that it made it that much easier. What other words would slip out of her mouth if she spent any longer around him?

“April, this is ridiculous I’m not taking a someone I hardly know to Bailey’s wedding.” He had no problem going solo. He liked weddings, any reason to have a good time.

He wasn’t about to waste the night constantly comparing whoever he brought with April and then there was April’s date. “Who are you bringing?”

“I haven’t asked anyone yet.”

“I see,” he replied and scratched his brow but couldn’t stop his upper lip from twitching upwards.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Not saying that you couldn’t get a date, April,” he amended and shook his head imperceptibly. Maybe if she believed that they wouldn’t be where they are now. “Just that this whole idea seems to be because  _you_  think that you can’t keep  _your_ hands to yourself.”

“That -- that is,” April babbled.

“Completely true.” Jackson dropped his pen into the pocket of his lab coat.

“No,” April lied, unfolding her arms and leaned against the counter as indifferently as she could. “As a matter of fact, I’m worried about you.”

“Me?” Jackson scoffed.

“Um yes,” she moved closer to him and straightened her back. “I’m a grown woman. I abstained for twenty-nine years, I can control myself. “

Jackson set his palm on the counter and leaned forward subtly. “Until you met me.”

“Yeah and it took a whole six years for you to break me down,” she fired back confidently but felt her face get hot. She knew it turned into a full-on blush when Jackson had the audacity to smirk down at her. He rolled his neck and opened his mouth to speak.

“Look don’t get up—”

April steps up to him and her eyes never left his. “Strapless and tight.”

He forgot how he was going to finish that sentence because the image her words conjure up made his mind foggy, Jackson thought of all her soft, pale skin that would be on display, the gentle slope of her neck and curves of her body.

“Are you sure you’re going to able to focus?” he heard her say and snapped his gaze back to her, a little annoyed that she got him.

He could totally control himself.

“I can handle you okay, we are friends, April,” Jackson grabbed a new chart and turned around to face her. “I will see you tomorrow at 1:00 pm.”

* * *

 

Jackson looked excellent in a suit.

If she was being honest with herself April had to admit he looked good in almost everything, except sometimes when they roommates and he’d come back from the gym wearing his sweaty clothes, she had no problem telling him how bad he had looked then. However, today all she had said when they had finished she gave him a simple ‘you look nice’ and they walked arm in arm into the venue. She needed to stop looking at him, every time she did she wanted to kiss him. If she let her gaze linger any longer then she’d end up thinking about less friendly things.

April pushed those thoughts out of her head. They were here as friends and she was glad that they could be in the same room with each other, even if the only reason why Jackson came was that they agreed that they were friends and nothing more.

“They made the place look really beautiful,” April stated after they sat down. She wasn’t sure how a Christmas themed wedding would look but they did an exceptional job in the transformation of the venue. “It’s like a winter wonderland.”

Jackson nodded in agreement, ignoring their surroundings and instead kept his eyes on her. She was right about that dress, it was everything she described it would be and he was having trouble keeping his eyes off the exposed skin. Her hair was pinned up and he just wanted to trail his lips down her neck and keep going until she was begging for him.

“Don’t you think?”

Jackson realised that she was looking to him, urging him for a response and he raised his eyebrow. She laughed and he was eased because she didn’t realise that his brain was.

“I was saying the place looks great.”

He laughed a little when he caught sight of her expression, enamoured with the decorations. There were more people settling into their seats.  “Yeah, and it’s a good thing she passed on the carolers.”

“What?”

He opened his mouth to tell her but then thought better of it. His mind raced ahead of itself and pulled out that conversation he’d had with Callie before he proposed to April. It had been a spur of the moment and romantic. A definite contrast to what they had been doing until that point. When he thought that April was pregnant, it was so clear to him. He’d have everything he wanted but it turned out she didn’t want him.

“I – it’s nothing,” Jackson rubbing his chin dismissively and hoped she didn’t notice. “I can’t believe it took you so long for you to ask me to a wedding.”

“I did not ask you. I suggested that we bring dates.” April clarified.

“And here we are,” he gestures between them.

April scoffed as if that was enough of an argument.  “We’ve been to other weddings before.”

Jackson brushed his clothed shoulder against her bare one. “How could I forget, you were right next to me crying so hard.”

“I couldn’t help it okay,” she laughed and Jackson smiled.  Laughing was better. The sound would never fail to make him forget about his problems. “Weddings make me cry.”

He leaned a little closer to her and whispered in her ear. “Should I have brought you some tissues?”

“That’s enough out of you,” April cautioned him jokingly and nudged him in the side for good measure.

“Could I have everyone’s attention please,” Ben entered and laughed nervously. All the guests were seated and were expecting the bride to be walking down the aisle at any moment. However, the groom was in the middle of explaining that Bailey had been pulled into an emergency so they had to wait a little longer for a wedding.

“The bar’s open in the back, drink, eat and as soon as we’re able we’ll have a little wedding.”

“I wonder what happened,” Jackson mumbled as they got to their feet.

“I don’t know but I’m sure she’ll get here,” April mused, remembering how Bailey spoke to her in the hall this morning. The woman would be here.

“At least for your sake we skipped to your favourite part of weddings,” April patted him on the stomach teasingly and Jackson rolled his eyes at her.

Alex didn’t know how he got pulled into the middle of Kepner and Avery’s drama. They both said that weren’t a thing but he knew better. He didn’t know what happened at Mercy West but the doctors here were much more prone to falling prey to their desires, he figured that it finally caught up to Jackson and April.

It was inevitable and they were annoying the hell out of him.  The only good thing about the wedding was the free wedding sex and being stuck between his two horny, idiotic friends meant he looked like a creepy third wheel and that wouldn’t attract a woman.

He needed to ditch them and fast.

“Hey, where are you going?” Jackson asked when he noticed Alex stand up. “If you’re going back to the buffet can you see if they still have that fish.”

Alex snorted at Jackson and straightened his suit jacket. “I’m going to take a leak.”

“You’re one classy guy Karev,” April muttered in middle of chewing.

“Well, I make an effort,” Alex responded unbothered. He didn’t care what they had to do if they had to boink again then so be it. He really didn’t care. “And I’m not sitting between you two all-night just because you can’t keep your hands off each other. Sort your crap out!”

Jackson watched Karev stalk off and then glanced down at her plate. It was kind of embarrassing to have Alex of all people tell them off but at the moment his personal life looked much better than his.  

Jackson slid into the empty seat that Alex left behind and called April’s name softly. “You know he’s right.”

April laughed and set her cutlery down, rolling her eyes. “I know, and I hate that.”

He turned in his seat more so he could face her completely and chuckled lightly at her words. “What are we doing, April?”

He thought it was ridiculous when she asked him to bring a date when all that he wanted was her. It was why he declined the idea, but he knew that he couldn’t just be her friend. He didn’t to be only her friend.

“I thought that I was doing what you wanted,” April sighed. It made sense for them to keep away from each other. She realised that she hurt him and didn’t want to make that mistake again.

“When we found out you weren’t pregnant you were happy,” Jackson stated. “It was obvious you didn’t want this.”

“I wasn’t happy I was --- we didn’t even know what we were,” April scoffed. She knew she could have chosen her words more carefully but she was scared out of her mind. She didn’t want to bring a baby into the world when she hadn’t even voiced to Jackson how she felt about him. “It didn’t mean that I didn’t want you, Jackson. I have feelings just like you.”

“You do?” Jackson pulled back.

April furrowed her eyebrows exaggeratedly. “Of course, I do you, idiot!”

Jackson moved forward and his knees brushed against her chair. “You know, you could have told me that without the name calling.”

“No,” she gripped his face with both hands and took his bottom lip in between her, mumbling against his mouth. “I really couldn’t.”

He tilts her head by tipping her chin up to deepen the kiss, not really caring who saw. But his pager goes off and then hers follows and the moment is stolen from them.

Jackson pulls away from her and April opens her purse to fish out the device from her small silver purse.  

“You got paged too?”

“A consult?”

“Yep,” Jackson said as they stood from the table. “Let’s go.”

“I think that they’re going to be really happy together,” April said as she and Jackson walked arm in arm up to the door of his apartment.

* * *

 

Their consult hadn’t taken too long so the pair were able to make it back in time to see their colleagues get married in a beautiful ceremony. Since they came to the wedding together and had finally had an honest conversation April wanted to come back to his place. This was the first time she’d seen where he lived.

April balanced her weight on one foot and untangled her arm from his. She dropped back a few steps so she could lean on the wall, using the leverage to yank her shoe off.  Jackson laughed when heard her groan once she was barefoot. April sauntered up to him and slipped a hand inside his suit jacket.

“Why do you wear them if they make you so uncomfortable?”

“Because they’re the best shoes I have and they go with the dress,” April shared and he’s reminded of her incessant need to shop responsibly. He cut her off by softly pressing his lips to hers, trying not to get too caught up in the feeling of finally having her in his arms again.

April tried to pull away from him. They were still in the hallway.  He tugged her bottom lip between his teeth just as she ends the kiss. “We could go inside, you know I’ve never seen your place.”

He pushed the door open and let her enter first.

“Wow. Fancy,” April remarked as she looked around before she dropped her shoes by the door. The space was very him. “Did you hire someone to decorate this room?”

He tipped his head forward, scoffing at her joke. “You’re mean when you’re tired.”

Jackson pressed his forehead to hers and slipped his hand down her back until they reached her behind. He started to suck on her neck and April felt her knees weaken. She missed having his arms around her. “Then take me to bed.”

He smirked at her words and lead her down the hall, pushing the door open to his bedroom. They shuffle toward the bed and she reattaches her lips to his to give him a passionate kiss.  April pushed his jacket off his shoulders and it landed on the floor with a dull thud.

“You right about the dress,” Jackson slowly started to pull the zipper down her back. The dress pooled at her feet and she stepped out of it and kissed down her back. “You looked beautiful tonight.”

“Jackson,” she moaned and twisted out of his grasp to connect their lips again. They had all the time in the world now but she could never really control herself when it came to him.  He lifted April into his arms and deposited her on the bed.

They undressed quickly and Jackson joined on the bed to lay his body over hers. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and laced their fingers together, placing them above her head on the mattress. Jackson thrust his hips into hers and bit back a groan.

April writhed against him and moaned loudly into his mouth. Jackson sensed the urgency in her cries and released her hands to cup her breasts taking time to kiss them before making his way down her body,

“April?” he questioned as he ran the tip of his nose along her hip bone and he heard her hum contentedly in reply. Damn, he missed that sound.

“I want to show you how much I missed you,” he said as he spread her legs apart.”

 


End file.
